Food For Love Essay, Research Paper

Food for Love

Mmmmm. The sound of satisfaction after a good meal. A simple word

with a loaded meaning that describes complacency as well as pleasure. A word

that could also relate to other matters of gratification; such as love. “Mmmmm”

could be the soft purring while cuddling with a loved one or a playful whine of

frustration when things aren’t so favorable. In either case it is easily noted that

food and love share more in common than most would think. In fact, loving

someone is like preparing a meal. The processes are actually quite similar; when

referring to the production of the meal and the conjunction of two people and even

as far as the consumption of the food and seduction in a relationship. Both require

time and effort and both can produce pleasing and rewarding results. They can

make your mouth water and can, sometimes, even make you sick. Although there

are recipes for food, love is without such guidance, yet the process of establishing

it and experiencing it are one in the same.

Every good dinner requires the right ingredients and love is not so different.

Although true love may not be as common as a good meal, neither of the two exist

without the unique and sometimes magical blending of its components. While a

dinner may only consist of a variety of foods, it is significant that they are

compatible. Relationships are full of many different emotions and responsibilities

but only when they coexist in a complimentary way does love occur. Love doesn’t

just happen. And neither does a good meal. In both situations, the commencement

of the process has to begin from the ground up. In essence, both parties, whether

it be a chef or two lovers, have to start from scratch. However, doing it right, even

if it takes longer and requires more effort, makes all the difference.

Good things come to those who wait. In love, as well as in preparing food,

patience is the key. This is clearly evident when a fine cuisine is compared to a

TV dinner or a one-nightstand compared to a lasting marriage. Cooks have

sometimes spent all day creating their product with the result being a pleasurable

feast that everyone can enjoy. When two people take their time with love it can

also be enjoyed by others besides themselves. However, one mistake is enough to

ruin them both. A real meal takes patience and careful preparation. Likewise,

without care and patience, love is artificial.

Just because the food has been made doesn’t mean it is ready to be eaten,

however. Sometimes it needs to cool off before it can be severed. The same is

true for love. Not every step in a relationship is a pleasant one and those which

aren’t can sometimes lead to worse circumstances. In regard to eating, people that

are hungry and rush to eat their food burn their mouth. This same effect isn’t so

uncommon when people rush into love. Those that are getting their first tastes of

love can either burn out or get burnt. It is often necessary to take time and to let

things cool off before he or she indulges.

Once a meal has been perfected though, indulgence can occur while the

food may be savored. When love becomes ripe, so too can it be better appreciated.

The condition being that the intake does not exceed the appropriate amount that

should be taken in. When a plate becomes too full the meal can be unpleasant.

Like dinner, love should be balanced. A balanced meal is nourishing and

satisfying and being in love requires the same needs. An equally cherished

relationship provides for a healthy and fulfilling one. The only catch is, one has to

finish their plate before he or she is expected to be able to leave the table. In other

words, a balanced relationship demands a mutual acceptance and deliverance of

the very ingredients that make up the love that two people share.

Being in love connotes happiness and security. While making dinner may

seem a little inferior to that fact, the processes are still the same. Every great love

is rewarded with contentment, similar to dessert after a meal. It is earned as well

as it is sweet. While love and food have many differences it is their substance and

evolution that parallel one another. Through this it is seen that the two have much

more in common than is obvious. Being in love is like making dinner. After all,

they both require good taste.